Rom - Kinship

Kin Groups and Descent.
The Rom population in North America is organized almost entirely on
basis of kinship. Students of American Rom disagree in their
interpretations of kinship. Gropper and Sutherland describe descent as
cognatic or bilateral; Gropper, however, recognizes the patrilineal
emphasis in rules of residence. In my view, descent ideology is
patrilineal, as expressed frequently by the statement: "We always
go by the father." In practice, rare exceptions occur. The
patrilineally extended family is generally the largest functioning unit
in the society. Patrilineally related males work together, pool their
money for bride-price, defend Common fortune-telling territories against
outside threats, and exhibit solidarity at public gatherings.
Women's lineages are considered not to matter, as expressed by
the statement referring to marriage: "The girls are thrown
away." Above the Family are the lineage and the clan, which
generally give the group its name; sometimes the names of lineage
founders are used in addition to the clan name. Thus an individual may
identify himself as being a Rom of the Kalderash tribe, Mineshti clan,
Demitro lineage, the son of Zurka, known by the name of Wasso. Both the
clan and the lineage are referred to by the term
vitsa,
which originates in the Romanian word meaning a "stem."

Kinship Terminology.
Eskimo-type kinship terms are used. Most of the terminology derives
from Indic roots, although some has been borrowed from Romanian and
possibly from other European languages. It differs from common European
kinship terms primarily by equating grandchildren with nieces and
nephews and in emphasizing terms defining relationships among affines,
the parties to marriage contracts.